IN LUKAS'S DORM ROOM
"Tomorrow's the magic competition between the academies," Henry announced excitedly to Lukas.
"Come to think of it, I've only heard about other academies," Lukas said, pondering over it. The only academy he had ever heard of was the one he was currently in, "Twilight Citadel."
"Yeah, same here," Henry said. "By the way, your girlfriend came over. She wanted to see you," he continued.
"Girl...girlfriend...?" Lukas's face flushed.
"Yeah," Henry replied happily, his eyes shining with excitement. "I'm so happy for you, Lukas. I can't believe she's your girlfriend!"
"No, you got it all wrong, Henry. She's not. Ellice and I are just friends," Lukas said, suddenly realizing who Henry was referring to.
"Ah...ah...I got you, Lukas. How do you know I was talking about Ellice?" Henry laughed as he walked over to Lukas, a smile still etched on his face. "Tell me...you've got a crush on her, don't you?" Henry asked, still smiling.
"Um...well...I wouldn't call it a crush," Lukas said, scratching the back of his head.
"Wow! So it's more than a crush, huh? You're in love with her!" Henry yelled happily.
"You're misunderstanding me, Henry. That's not what I meant," Lukas said.
"Then, what do you mean?" Henry asked.
"Never mind...did she say why she wanted to see me?" Lukas asked.
"Well...she said you should meet her at the training grounds tonight, which is now," Henry said.
"The training grounds?" Lukas asked.
"Yeah, it seems weird, right? Why would she pick the training grounds as a meeting spot for your first date?" Henry said thoughtfully.
"Once again, we're not dating," Lukas facepalmed.
"Yeah...you can keep lying to yourself as long as you want, Lukas, but you know deep down you've got feelings for her," Henry said.
Lukas ignored Henry and walked out of the dorm room.
"Hey, aren't you going to change into something fitting for a date?" Henry yelled as Lukas left the room.
"I wonder what she wants to talk about?" Lukas said as he walked to the Combat Arena. He saw Ellice standing there, impatiently tapping her feet on the ground.
"Ellice," he called out to her.
Her icy white hair drifted as she turned around to face Lukas. Her previous angry expression crumpled and was replaced by a joyful one. She walked slowly toward Lukas, and suddenly, her angry expression surfaced again. "What took you so long?" she asked.
"I just got your message, Ellice. What do you want to talk about?" Lukas asked.
Ellice's face softened slightly as she sighed. "I need your help, Lukas," she admitted.
"My help? With what?" Lukas asked, confused.
"I want you to train me," Ellice said firmly.
"Train you? Why?" Lukas asked, genuinely curious.
"You're an expert, and I need to get stronger," Ellice said directly.
Lukas nodded slowly. "I see. Alright, Ellice. I'll help you train."
Ellice's face lit up with a smile. "Thank you, Lukas. I appreciate it."
Lukas and Ellice stood in the middle of the combat arena, surrounded by various training dummies and equipment. The arena was dimly lit, with torches casting flickering shadows on the stone walls.
"Alright, Ellice. Let's start with some basic exercises to warm up," Lukas said. "First, let's practice your ice lance spell."
Ellice nodded and took a deep breath, concentrating. She extended her hand, and a sharp, glistening ice lance formed in her palm. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the lance hurtling towards a training dummy. It struck the target with precision, piercing through the center.
"Good start," Lukas said. "But you need to focus on increasing the power and speed of your attacks. Try again, but this time, put more energy into it."
Ellice nodded and concentrated again. This time, the ice lance she conjured was larger and more solid. She sent it flying towards the dummy, and it hit with a powerful impact, shattering the target.
"Much better," Lukas said with a smile. "Now, let's work on your defensive spells. Show me your ice shield."
Ellice nodded and raised her hand, creating a shimmering barrier of frost around her. The cold radiated from the shield, and the ice sparkled in the torchlight.
"Good. Now hold it," Lukas instructed. He picked up a nearby training sword and swung it at the shield. The blade met the ice and was instantly repelled, the cold numbing the metal.
"Impressive," Lukas said. "But remember, maintaining a shield like that requires a lot of energy. You need to be able to sustain it under pressure."
Ellice nodded, sweat beading on her forehead as she focused on keeping the shield intact.
"Alright, let's try something more advanced," Lukas said. "Combine your offensive and defensive spells. Create an ice shield, then launch ice lances from within it."
Ellice looked determined as she raised her hand again, summoning the ice shield. She then concentrated, forming ice lances within the shield and launching them at multiple targets around the arena. The lances struck their marks, piercing through the dummies.
"Excellent, Ellice," Lukas said, genuinely impressed. "You're getting stronger."
Ellice smiled, panting slightly from the effort. "Thank you, Lukas. Your guidance is really helping."
Lukas nodded. "Let's take a short break, then we'll move on to more advanced techniques."
They sat down on a bench, catching their breath. Ellice looked at Lukas with a mixture of gratitude and admiration. "Lukas, why are you so good at this? Training, I mean."
Lukas shrugged. "I've always been good at adapting and learning quickly. Plus, I guess I just have a natural affinity for magic."
Ellice nodded, deep in thought. "I'm glad you're helping me. I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere."
After their break, they resumed training. Lukas taught Ellice how to combine her ice magic with physical attacks, enhancing her combat skills. They practiced for hours, pushing each other to their limits.
"Alright, Ellice. Let's work on a powerful technique. I want you to learn the Polar Vortex," Lukas said.